Chapter 174: The Simple-Minded Guo Zhen

The palace maids and eunuchs busy in the Imperial Kitchen did not recognize Zhu Gaoxu and Guo Zhen.

Zhu Gaoxu and his companion simply began to wander around inside.

Seeing something delicious, Zhu Gaoxu gave Guo Zhen a wink.

Guo Zhen understood immediately and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, carried it all away directly.

Afterwards, Zhu Gaoxu and Guo Zhen slipped out of the Imperial Kitchen.

Those palace maids and eunuchs did not pay any mind to the two little children.

They had no idea that these two had already eaten and taken quite a few things.

Deep within the palace grounds, there were small bridges, flowing water, and long corridors.

Zhu Gaoxu and Guo Zhen sat in a pavilion, and Guo Zhen looked around as if he were a thief.

Then, he took the Eight-Treasure Duck stolen from the Imperial Kitchen out from his robes.

Zhu Gaoxu's eyes lit up at the sight, and he immediately beckoned Guo Zhen to eat it together.

Just as Zhu Gaoxu and Guo Zhen were happily stealing a meal, Ma Huanghou became completely anxious.

On the Longevity Festival, various ministers and envoys accompanied the Emperor to celebrate at noon.

As for the female relatives and children, they were all hosted by Ma Huanghou.

Only when the evening banquet arrived would everyone attend together.

Yet, because Zhu Gaoxu and Guo Zhen were busy stealing food, they had not gone to find Ma Huanghou at all.

Soon, Ma Huanghou discovered that Zhu Gaoxu and Guo Zhen were missing.

Waving her hand, Ma Huanghou said to her eunuch: "Do not make a scene about this matter; send people to find them quickly!"

The eunuch nodded and immediately dispatched men to begin searching for Zhu Gaoxu and his companion.

Zhu Gaoxu and his companion were completely unaware of this.

The two of them were eating until their mouths were slick with grease; after a long while, they finally finished their fill.

Wiping the oil from the corners of his mouth, Zhu Gaoxu said to Guo Zhen: "I never expected that the son of the Marquis of Wuding would also steal food just like any other little thief."

After hearing this, Guo Zhen rolled his eyes at Zhu Gaoxu and retorted just as unyieldingly: "The Nanyang Commandery Prince is no better; in the end, aren't you just like me?"

Having said this, the two looked at each other and burst into loud laughter.

Looking at the sky, Zhu Gaoxu felt that enough time had passed and said immediately: "It's about time to go back, otherwise the people at home will get worried."

Guo Zhen nodded after hearing this.

Then, the two walked toward one end of the corridor.

They hadn't walked two steps before a group of eunuchs came rushing toward them.

Seeing Zhu Gaoxu and his companion, the group of eunuchs all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, my little ancestors, why did you two run off to here?"

Saying this, the eunuch hurriedly took Zhu Gaoxu and his companion back to report to Ma Huanghou.

Ma Huanghou was currently entertaining the relatives of various ministers.

She nodded upon seeing the two, then gave a faint order to keep a close watch on them and not let them run around blindly again.

Thus, Zhu Gaoxu and his companion were placed under the supervision of a group of eunuchs.

Fortunately, Zhu Gaoxu still had Guo Zhen by his side, which kept him from being too bored.

The two were settled by the group of eunuchs in a small courtyard.

Guo Zhen sat beside Zhu Gaoxu and said: "I heard that Your Highness is about to set out for the North to kill the enemy and earn merit."

There was clear envy in Guo Zhen's tone.

After hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu nodded and said: "A great man standing between heaven and earth should achieve immortal merit!"

Hearing Zhu Gaoxu's words, Guo Zhen's eyes clearly lit up, and the way he looked at Zhu Gaoxu was filled with admiration.

Then, Guo Zhen gathered his courage and said to Zhu Gaoxu: "You are leaving tomorrow; how about you take me with you, Your Highness?"

"Pfft."

Zhu Gaoxu almost spat out his drink upon hearing Guo Zhen's words.

Guo Zhen was the beloved son of the Marquis of Wuding; although there was basically no great danger in this campaign against the bandits in the North,

it was inevitable that one might suffer from things like not being accustomed to the local climate along the way.

If something were to happen to this kid in the end, he wouldn't be able to bear the blame.

Thinking this, Zhu Gaoxu shook his head and said: "What is there to follow along for in a war? If you ask me, this trip to the North is mainly to deal with small-time bandits; there's nothing much to see."

"When I go to kill the remnants of the former dynasty later, I will take you with me, and then we brothers will go onto the battlefield to kill the enemy together!"

Hearing Zhu Gaoxu's words, Guo Zhen was clearly convinced.

His eyes brightened, and Guo Zhen nodded with a serious expression.

Immediately after, fearing that Guo Zhen might say something else shocking, Zhu Gaoxu said: "You just wait for me properly in Jingcheng; when I return, we will go hunting outside the city together."

Hearing Zhu Gaoxu's words, Guo Zhen gripped Zhu Gaoxu's arm tightly and nodded: "Brother, you must return safely!"

Zhu Gaoxu nodded, thinking to himself that he had finally managed to fool him.

Next, the two chatted about other things in the small courtyard.

In the small courtyard, they talked about their big dreams.

Because Guo Zhen was doted on by his father, his mind was actually very simple.

In just a few words, he was completely taken in by Zhu Gaoxu.

It could be said that his admiration for Zhu Gaoxu grew even deeper.

And Zhu Gaoxu had not expected his little brother to be so easy to deceive.

Looking at the light in the other's eyes, Zhu Gaoxu felt a slight sense of guilt for the first time.

"Your Highness, are you really not lying to me? Once I inherit the title of Marquis of Wuding from my father, the two of us will lead an army to Goryeo together!"

Zhu Gaoxu nodded and said, "Rest assured. I might cheat anyone else, but I would never cheat a brother. You can set your mind at ease; when the time comes, we shall be brothers fighting tigers together, which will surely go down as a fine tale for future generations."